Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY (1977-2007)-Three Decades: Major Events

1977

JUNE 21: The Left Front Government, headed by Jyoti Basu, assumes power. Governor A L Dias administers Basu and his ministerial colleagues the oath of office. Decision of releasing the political prisoners at the first meeting of the cabinet.JUNE 24: The first session of the newly formed Assembly starts.JUNE 26: Victory rally of Left Front at the Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata.JULY 2: Unanimous decision of State Cabinet in favour of regional autonomy status for Darjeeling within the state periphery.JULY 10: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu apprises Prime Minister Morarji Desai in Delhi of problems West Bengal faces.JULY 30-31: Chief Ministers' conference in Delhi. Jyoti Basu speaks at the session on the first day.AUGUST 19: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks at the joint meeting of four chambers of commerce.AUGUST 23: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu discusses Haldia Petrochemicals with H N Bahuguna, the Union Minister for Chemicals and Petroleum.SEPTEMBER 29: The West Bengal Land (Amendment) Bill passed in the Assembly.OCTOBER 3: Indira Gandhi arrested by CBI, released the next day.OCTOBER 6: 8.33% bonus for the State Government employees gets official nod. OCTOBER 13: Decision for establishing the Urdu Academy taken.OCTOBER 15: The Left Front Committee submits its recommendation to the State Government for the Panchayat election in March, 1978.NOVEMBER 6: Tribhuban Narayan Singh assumes the office of theGovernor of West Bengal.NOVEMBER 16: The State Government forms Pay Commission for its employees.NOVEMBER 18: Elaborate guideline on legitimacy of recording the names of sharecroppers published.NOVEMBER 21: The Left Front Committee decides upon initiating a nationwide debate on centre-state relationship.DECEMBER 1: Draft on centre-state relationship accepted by the state cabinet. DECEMBER 8: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu writes to the Chief Ministers of certain states to consider re-orientation of Centre-State relations.

1978

FEBRUARY 9 : Discussion on re-orientation of centre-state relations between West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah in Kolkata. MARCH 18-19: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu addresses the meeting of the National Development Council.MARCH 23: Debate at the State Legislative Assembly on the refugee influx from Dandakaranya.MARCH 25: A proposal demanding reorientation of Centre-State relations accepted in the West Bengal State Assembly.MARCH 30: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu meets Prime Minister Morarji Desai in New Delhi to discuss the issue of the refugees from Dandakaranya. APRIL 11: Chief Minister's appeal to the refugees from Dandakaranya issued.MAY 2: Students Union election takes place in Calcutta University after a gap of eight years.JUNE 4 : Landslide victory of the Left Front in the three-tier panchayat election of the state.JUNE 26 : The State Government takes the decision of sending the Dandakaranya refugees back.JULY 4 : The State Cabinet takes the decision of reducing the voting age in the municipal election from 21 years to 18 years.SEPTEMBER 2 : Heavy rainfall starts. The state, especially southern Bengal, witnesses massive inundation over the period of a month and a half, the most devastating flood of the century.SEPTEMBER 26 : Heavy rainfall starts in Kolkata, too. The state capital encounters unprecedented flood.OCTOBER 22 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu places a memorandum before Prime Minister Morarji Desai, stating the extent of loss due to flood, and seeks financial assistance. DECEMBER 5 : West Bengal College Service Commission Bill passed in the Assembly.DECEMBER 8 : An unofficial proposal for insertion of the Right to Work in the Indian Constitution accepted in the State Assembly.

JANUARY 3-6 : Congress (I) assumes power again.JANUARY 14 : Indira Gandhi takes oath of office as Prime Minister. JANUARY 20 : The State Government declares school education up to Class X free.JANUARY 21 : Left Democratic Front wins Kerala Assembly elections as E K Nainar becomes Chief Minister, Left Front holds victory rally at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata.JANUARY 26 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu inaugurates Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Institute for Asian Studies.FEBRUARY 2 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks at the inauguration of the 67th session of Indian Science Congress at the Jadavpur University.FEBRUARY 18 : The Centre dissolves assemblies of nine states.FEBRUARY 22 : A censure motion, reacting to the Centre's dissolution of nine state assemblies, accepted in the West Bengal Assembly.APRIL 1 : A proposal on the Assam situation passed in West Bengal Assembly.APRIL 27 : Central Citizens' Convention held in demand of sustaining the federal structure. MAY 6: Calcutta Municipal Corporation Bill accepted in the Assembly. MAY 27: Codes of conduct, so far binding upon the State Government employees,invalidated and the full trade union rights, including the right to call and observe strikes, granted.JUNE 11: The Confidential Report system in State Government service gets done away with. JUNE 23: Sanjay Gandhi dies in air crash. JUNE 30: State Cabinet takes the decision of bifurcating 24 Parganas into two separate districts, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.JULY 5: West Bengal Colour Film and Sound Laboratory Corporation Limited founded. JULY 10: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks on the occasion of the celebration of 150 years of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce.SEPTEMBER 2: A proposal for demanding approval of the centre for Haldia Petrochemicals passed in the West Bengal Assembly.SEPTEMBER 23: National Security Ordinance promulgated by the Union Government. DECEMBER 1: The amended West Bengal Scheduled Caste and Tribal Development and Financial Corporation Act comes into force.

1981

JANUARY 10 : West Bengal Government declares free education up to class XII. FEBRUARY 5 : The Government of West Bengal seeks approval of the Centre for setting up a state-owned bank.MAY 31: Election held for 89 municipalities of the state with lowest adult franchise age of 18 years.JUNE 16 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu writes to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi demanding an electronic complex at Salt Lake.JULY 27 : The Union Government issues ESMA to ban strikes in organizations delcared essential.SEPTEMBER 9 : The Communist Party of India, the Democratic Socialist Party and the West Bengal Socialist Party join the Left Front.SEPTEMBER 12 : Bhairav Dutt Pandey takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal.SEPTEMBER 23 : A proposal accepted in the State Assembly in favour of autonomy in Darjeeling hill area.SEPTEMBER 29 : The Vidyasagar University founded.NOVEMBER 30 : Howrah Municipal Corporation Act 1980 comes into effect. DECEMBER 2 : The Calcutta Municipal Corporation Bill, passed in the West Bengal Assembly on May 6, 1981 gets the Presidential nod.

1982

JANUARY 6 : Decision taken in the State Cabinet to complete the Assembly elections by March 15.FEBRUARY 13 : The Calcutta High Court imposes stay on publication of voters' list in West Bengal.FEBRUARY 19 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu meets Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at the national capital to discuss the issue of election.MARCH 5: The Supreme Court dismisses the Calcutta High Court's decision onpublication of the voters' list.MARCH 20: Paschimbanga Rajya Sangeet Academy starts functioning.MARCH 29–APRIL 5 : Huda (Purulia) to Kolkata rally in support of the 16-point demand of the state to the centre.APRIL 7: Election Commission declares that assembly polls would be held in West Bengal on May 19.MAY 6: Order for foundation of the Institute of Local Government & Urban Studies issued.MAY 19: Polls for West Bengal Assembly held. Nine-party Left Front wins 238 seats out of total 294. MAY 26: Second Left Front Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, sworn in.JUNE 2: Formation of the Environment Department in the Government of West Bengal. JULY 25 : Jail Singh sworn in as the President of India.SEPTEMBER 23 : Biggest peace rally in Kolkata.OCTOBER 14 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu meets Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and places the State Government's demand for draught relief.NOVEMBER 29 : Left Front Chairman Pramode Dasgupta dies in the Chinese capital, Beijing. DECEMBER 7 : All-party meeting in condolence of Left Front chairman Pramode Dasgupta at the Brigade Parade Ground. Saroj Mukherjee takes over as the next Left Front Chairman.

1983

MARCH 7-12 : Summit of the seventh Non-Alignment Movement held in New Delhi. MARCH 24 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu submits the Charter of Demand to the Eighth Finance Commission. MAY 31 : Second Panchayat election in the state held.JUNE 7 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks on the occasion of the inauguration of colour telecasting from Kolkata Doordarshan Kendra.JUNE 9 : Sarkaria Commission formed to look into various aspects of Centre-State relations. JUNE 25 : India win Cricket World Cup. OCTOBER 5-7: Conference of Several opposition parties and Chief Ministers of four non-Cong (I)-ruled states such as West Bengal, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka. Chief Minister Jyoti Basu Finance Minister Ashok Mitra represent West Bengal.OCTOBER 10 : Ananta Prasad Sharma takes over as the Governor of West Bengal.DECEMBER 18 : Demise of Prafulla Chandra Ghosh, the first Chief Minister of West Bengal.DECEMBER 22 : Felicitation of the delegates of the World Peace Council at Rabindra Sadan.

MAY 11 : Inauguration of Salt Lake Electronics Industrial Unit by Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.MAY 22 : An agreement signed between West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation and RPG Company on setting up the Haldia Petrochemicals Project.JUNE 30 : First-time poll for Kolkata Corporation under new rule. The Left Front comes out victorious.AUGUST 29-30 : Challenge of Education: A Policy Perspective is submittedto the Union Government at the conference of Education Ministers in New Delhi. SEPTEMBER 2 : Inauguration of Nandan, the West Bengal Film Centre. NOVEMBER 8-9 : Draft of the Seventh Five-year Planapproved in the meeting of the National Development Council. Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks on the occasion.NOVEMBER 30 : Institute of Wetland Management and Ecological Design founded. (The institute came under the jurisdiction of the State Environment Department on April 1, 1998).

1986

JANUARY 23-24 : Challenge of Education: A Policy Perspective finalized at the conference of Education Ministers in New Delhi.MARCH 1 : The district of 24 Parganas is bifurcated into two equi-status separatedistricts, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.MAY 20 : Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi comes into being.JUNE 15 : Election for 75 municipalities of West Bengal held.AUGUST 12 : Syed Nurul Hasan takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal. SEPTEMBER 18-20 : Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visits West Bengal. State Chief Minister Jyoti Basu discusses on various projects of West Bengal with the Prime Minister.

A huge mandate in favour of the Left Front.AUGUST 22 : Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council agreement signed in Kolkata.AUGUST 30 : Centre tables Defamation Bill in the Lok Sabha in the

context of Bofors Scam.SEPTEMBER 6 : Newspapers strike in relation to the Defamation Bill.SEPTEMBER 22 : Centre does away with the Defamation Bill.SEPTEMBER28 : Foundation stone of the Bakreswar Thermal

Power Station laid. DECEMBER 13 : The first election of the

Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. The GNLF wins.

1989

JANUARY 28 : Non-Congress Chief Ministers' meet held in Kolkata.MARCH 2 : T V Rajeswar takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal.APRIL 3 : Chief Miniter Jyoti Basu inaugurates the Panchayati Rajconference of eastern and north-eastern states in Kolkata.JULY 21 : Harideo Joshi takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal.AUGUST 14 : T V Rajeswar once again takes charges as the Governor of WestBengal. AUGUST 30 : All India strike on Bofors gun deal issue. NOVEMBER 22 : Ninth general election commences.DECEMBER 2 : National Front Government, under the

leadership of Vishwanath Pratap Singh, assumes office at the Centre.1990

JANUARY 10 : Left Front Chairman Saroj Mukherjee passes away. Sailen Dasgupta takes over.FEBRUARY 7 : Syed Nurul Hasan takes over as the Governor of West Bengal. MARCH 28 : PLO Supremo Yasser Arafat given public felicitation at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. APRIL 15-21 : West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu visits Vietnam as the head of the Indian delegation on the occasion of Ho Chi Minh's birth centenary.MAY 27 : 75 municipalities of 14 districts of the state go to polls.JULY 7 : Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh implements the Mondal Commission recommendation of reserving 27% posts for the backward classes.AUGUST 13 : The Union Government issues order in regard to the implementation of the Mondal Commission recommendations.OCTOBER 18 : Public felicitation of Nelson Mandela in presence of West BengalGovernor Syed Nurul Hasan and Chief Minister Jyoti Basu at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. NOVEMBER 7 : Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh resigns. NOVEMBER 18 : Chandrashekhar becomes Prime Minister with the support of the Indian National Congress.

1991

JANUARY 5 : K V Raghunatha Reddy appointed the Governor of West Bengal. JANUARY 17 : Gulf war breaks out.JANUARY 25 : Syed Nurul Hasan appointed Governor of West Bengal. MARCH 6 : Indian National Congress withdraws support. Chandrashekhar steps down as Prime Minister.MARCH 31 : West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks on 'Democracy, Federal System and Section 356 of the Constitution' at a seminar arranged by the Indian School of Social Science, Madras.MAY 20–JUNE 15 : General election takes place. In West Bengal, the assembly election, too, held on May 20 alongside the Parliamentary election.MAY 21: Rajiv Gandhi dies off a bomb explosion at an election rally at Shri Perumbudur in Tamil Nadu.JUNE 21 : Indian National Congress comes back to power at the Centre. P V Narasimha Rao assumes the office of Prime Minister.JUNE 25 : In West Bengal, Jyoti Basu sworn in as the Chief Minister of the fourth Left Front Government.NOVEMBER 29 : All-India general strike observed in protest against the new liberal economic policy adopted by the centre.

1992

JANUARY 4: Md. Safi Kureshi takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal. JANUARY 16: Freight Equalisation Policy partly withdrawn by the Centre.JANUARY 25: Syed Nurul Hasan appointed Governor of West Bengal.APRIL 1: West Dinajpur district is bifurcated into two equi-status separate districts, Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur.APRIL 23: Satyajit Ray breathes his last after prolonged illness.MAY 26: Teen Bigha handed over.JUNE 22: State Women's Commission formed.JULY 25: Shankar Dayal Sharma sworn in as the ninth President of India.AUGUST 11: K R Narayanan becomes the Vice President of IndiaOCTOBER 20: Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao inaugurates the Vidyasagar Setu in Kolkata. OCTOBER 29: Md. Safi Qureshi appointed the Governor of West Bengal.NOVEMBER 30: Syed Nurul Hasan appointed the Governor of West Bengal. DECEMBER 6: Babri Mosque demolished.

1993

JANUARY 26: Statewide 'Human Chain' programme in support of communal harmony. APRIL 13 : A memorandum signed by more than three crore people, appealing for communical harmony and national unity, submitted to the President of India.APRIL 23: The Panchayati Raj Act accepted in the Parliament throughthe 73rd amendment of the Constitution.MAY 5–7: International seminar on 'Relevance of Marxism in a changed World' held in Kolkata. The communist parties from 18 different countries participate in the seminar.MAY 30: Fourth panchayat election in the state. Reservation for women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes introduced. Left Front comes out victorious with a big margin. JUNE 22: Draft Joint Parliamentary Committee Report on share scam leaked.JULY 12: Syed Nurul Hasan, the Governor of West Bengal, passes away.JULY 13: B Satyanarayan Reddy takes charge of Governor of West Bengal.JULY 21: Violence engulfs Kolkata as a youth outfit gives the call of Writers' Buildings's seizure. JULY 26 : No Confidence Motion in Lok Sabha against the P. V. Narasimha Rao Government. AUGUST 14: K V Raghunatha Reddy appointed as the Governor of West Bengal. SEPTEMBER 9: Leftist parties call all-India general strike in protest against the share scam. OCTOBER 2: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu meets Cuban President Fidel Castro at Havana.DECEMBER 3–9: Countrywide postal strike.DECEMBER 7–10: Observance of National Protest Week against the Dunkel proposal. DECEMBER 9: Leftist leaders march to the Parliament House on protest against the alleged concessions of the Union Government to the Dunkel proposals.DECEMBER 15: Observance of nationwide kaala divas against GATT.DECEMBER 21: Joint Parliamentary Committee Report on share scam submitted. DECEMBER 31: Second term election of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

1994

JANUARY 7: Report of the Malhotra Committee, counselling for privatization in the banking and insurance sector, tabled.JANUARY 12: 'Cease work' for two hours in insurance sector in protest against the report of Malhotra Committee.JANUARY 19: Conference of Chief Ministers in New Delhi to discuss the issue of voteridentity cards.FEBRUARY 11: A proposal with the directive of abstaining from execution of the Dunkel proposal accepted in the West Bengal Assembly.APRIL 4: Rally in Kolkata against GATT agreement.APRIL 8 : Countrywide strike in banking and insurance sectors.APRIL 13 : 'Human wall' in protest against GATT.APRIL 13-15 : GATT is finalized at a meeting held at Marakesh in Turkey.MAY 4: Chief Minister Jyoti Basustarts for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.JULY 13: The West Bengal Municipal Act 1993 comes into force.JULY 14: Nearly 23 lac workers of the public sector join hands in strike.JULY 26: Union Government tables in Lok Sabha the Action Taken Report on the Joint Parliamentary Committee Report on share scam.AUGUST 17: Union Government withdraws the Action Taken Report.SEPTEMBER 23 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu places a policy statement regarding the perspective plan of industrialization in West Bengal at the State Assembly. SEPTEMBER 29 : Countrywide general strike and hartal observed at the call of All-India forum of 56 mass organizations.

1995

JANUARY 2: Foundation of the University of Animal and Fisheries Sciences. JANUARY 30: West Bengal State Human Rights Commission comes into existence. This becomes the first ever state-level human rights commission in the country.MAY 28: Election for 75 municipalities of the state held.JUNE 5: StateGovernment proclaims the policy of action on ecological upkeeping and conservation of natural resouces.JUNE 19-23: Telecom workers join together in a countrywide strike.JULY 8 : The first electron in Bidhannagar Municipality held. The mandate goes in favour of the Left Front.JULY 9 : The Left Front comes out winners in the election to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.SEPTEMBER 22–24: Asia-pacific Cuba Solidarity Conference convened in Kolkata. OCTOBER 12: Inauguration of the Madhusudan Mancha in Kolkata.DECEMBER 18 : Loads of sophisticated firearms dropped in Purulia.

1996

JANUARY 8: West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Corporation set up. APRIL 27: The eleventh general election commences. Polls on April 27, May 2, 7 and 21. MAY 2: The twelvth Assembly election commences. Left Front retains power in West Bengal.MAY 10: Formation of 13-party United Front in New Delhi. The constituent parties : Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Telegu Desham, Tamil Manila Congress, Assam Gana Parishad, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham, Congress (Tewari), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Republican Party. Indian National Congress supported the front from outside. MAY 16 : At the Centre, BJP-led Government, headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee, sworn in. MAY 20 : The fifth Left Front Government, headed by Jyoti Basu, takes oath of office. MAY 28 : No-confidence Motion in Parliament. Atal Behari Vajpayee resigns.MAY 30 : State Minority Development and Welfare Department starts functioning.JUNE 1 : At the centre, United Front Government, headed by H D Devegouda, sworn in. JUNE 30 : Laying of foundation stone of the folk cultural village at Chhit Kalikapur. AUGUST 30 : West Bengal Minority Commission starts functioning as a statutory body. SEPTEMBER 15 : Tourism Policy of West Bengal announced.SEPTEMBER 20 : Jyoti Basu unveils statue of Rabindranath Tagore at the birthplace of William Shakespeare in the United Kingdom.NOVEMBER 18 : Eminent singer Pit Segar meets Chief Minister Jyoti Basu at the Writers' Buildings.NOVEMBER 27 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, accompanied by state Information& Cultural Affairs Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Finance Minister Asim K Dasgupta, starts for Bangladesh. DECEMBER 2 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu comes back from Bangladesh tour while state Information & Cultural Affairs Minister Buddhadeb Bhattarcharjee and Finance Minister Asim K Dasgupta stay back for the next legs of the talks with the Bangladesh Government.DECEMBER 12 : The historic Water Treaty signed between India and Bangladesh in New Delhi.

1997JANUARY 23 : Birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose observed.APRIL 11 : H.D. Devegouda Government falls as the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party refuse to go to bat for the Government any more.APRIL 21 : I K Gujral sworn in as the Prime Minister of the United Front Governmentat the centre. JULY 7 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu inagurates book exhibition organized jointly by theFederation of Indian Publishers and the National Book Trust of India at the Nehru Centre, London.JULY 22–30 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu visits South Africa.JULY 25 : K R Narayanan takes over as the President of India.AUGUST 15 : Golden Jubilee of Indian Independence observed.AUGUST 20 : Netaji Subhas Open University founded.NOVEMBER 28 : Prime Minister I K Gujral resigns as Congress withdraws support.DECEMBER 4 : The president dismisses the Parliament.

1998

FEBRUARY 16–23 : Parliament election held. MARCH 19 : The Central Cabinet, headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, takes the oath of office.APRIL 9 : Violence unleashed at Kespur in Medinipur.APRIL 27 : A R Kidwai appointed the Governor of West Bengal.MAY 11 : Experimental atomic explosion conducted at Pokhran.MAY 13 : The second experimental atomic explosion at Pokhran.MAY 28 : Panchayat election in the state. Left Front registers victory.AUGUST 5 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu speaks on 'India in the 21st Century—A Vision' at the Nehru Centre, London.OCTOBER 14 : Amartya Sen wins the Nobel Prize in economics.NOVEMBER 13 : Chief Minister Jyoti Basu delivers the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial speech in New Delhi. He spoke on 'India and the Challenges of the 21st Century'. DECEMBER 11 : Countrywide general strike against the neo-liberal economic policy of the Central Government.

1999

FEBRUARY 20 : Convention of the non-Congress opposition parties under the initiative of the leftists.MARCH 4 : Enforcement of the West Bengal Municipal (Buildings) Rules, 1996. APRIL 17 : NDA fails to win Confidence Vote in the Lok Sabha. The Union Government falls. APRIL 26 : President K R Narayanan dismisses Parliament.MAY 17 : A R Kidwai resigns from the post of the Governor of West Bengal.MAY 18 : Shyamal Kr Sen takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal.JUNE 21 : Left Front tenders demand for formalizing the use of the name "Kolkata" instead of "Calcutta".SEPTEMBER 5–25 : General elections held.OCTOPBER 13 : Atal Beheri Vajpayee sworn in as Prime Minister as the National Democratic Alliance comes back to power.OCTOBER 26 : Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee becomes the Deputy Chief Minister of WestBengal. This was for the first and so far the last time such a post was created during the Left Front regime.DECEMBER 4: Biren J Shah becomes the Governor of West Bengal.

2000

JANUARY 1: The State Government announces its policy on information technology. FEBRUARY 21: Production starts in the Haldia Petrochemicals.FEBRUARY 29: Chief Minister Jyoti Basu asks Union Raliways Minister Mamata Banerjee to increase the load of work orders for Chittaranjan Locomotive.MARCH 9: The national fourm of the leftist mass organizations marches to the Parliament House to register protest against the economic policy of the Union Government. MARCH 30: Proposal for formation of the Uttar Banga Unnayan Parshad passed in the Assembly. APRIL 2: Inauguration of the Haldia Petrochemicals.APRIL 20: Foundation of the Roopkala Kendro. APRIL 22: Foundation of the West Bengal National Law University.APRIL 24: The Union Government places the Bill for privatization of coal mines. The left parties register strong protest.MAY 16: Chief Minister places the demands of the state before the Prime Minister. MAY 18: Paschimanchal Parshad is formed with 73 blocks of 13 sub-divisions spread over five districts—Purulia, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur, Birbhum and Bardhaman. MAY 30: Elections in 79 municipalities of West Bengal held. The Left Front wins most of the seats.JUNE 25: TMC-BJP alliance wins the fouth KolkataMunicipal Corporation elections.JUNE 28: Telecom workers and officials go on strike.AUGUST 7: Foundation of West Bengal University of Technology. OCTOBER 27: Jyoti Basu calls it a day as the Chief Minister of West Bengal. OCTOBER 31: For the last time, Jyoti Basu presides over the meeting of the statecabinet.NOVEMBER 3: Jyoti Basu spends his last day at the Writers' Buildings as Chief Minister of West Bengal. NOVEMBER 6: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee takes oath of office as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.DECEMBER 23: Formal approval of the name 'Kolkata' instead of 'Calcutta' by the Union Government.

2001

JANUARY 1: Administrative order for change of name from 'Calcutta' to 'Kolkata' issued.JANUARY 26: Devastating earthquake at Bhuj in Gujarat.FEBRUARY 1: Foundation of the North Bengal University for Agriculture. Jyoti Basu speaks for the last time at the State Assembly. MAY 11: Election for West Bengal State Assembly. Left Front wins 199 seats. MAY 18: The sixth Left Front Government, headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, takes oath of office.JULY 10: Left Front Chairman Sailen Dasgupta passes away.JULY 13: Biman Bose takes over as the Chairman of the Left Front.SEPTEMBER 11: Terrorist attack pulls down the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York.DECEMBER 6: West Bengal Municipal (Ward Committee) Rules 2001 implemented. DECEMBER 13: Terrorists have a go at the Parliament House.

2002

JANUARY 1 : Midnapore district bifurcated into two separate districts: Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur. JANUARY 22 : Terrorists attack in front of American Information Centre in Kolkata. JULY 18 : A PJ Abdul Kalam becomes the President of India.AUGUST 20 : The State Government announces its new policy of IT-enabled services for West Bengal.

2003

MARCH 1 : Left Front comes out victorious in the Tripura State Assembly elections. APRIL 28 : N D Ghan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, visits Kolkata.MAY 11 : The sixth three-tier panchayat election in the state. The Left Front wins.JUNE 22 : Election for 13 municipalities of the state takes place.

2004

JANUARY 16 - JANUARY 21 : World Social Forum session in Mumbai.JANUARY 27 : Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattarcharjee inaugurates the Kolkata Urban Service for the Poor (KUSP) project.MARCH 25 : The medallion of the Nobel Prize awarded to Rabindranath Tagore stolen from the museum of Visva-Bharati.APRIL 20–MAY 10 : The fourteenth Parliament election held.MAY 13 : Results of the Parliament election announced. The BJP-led NDA Government fails to retain power. MAY 16 : All secular parties support the Indian National Congress.MAY 17 : Leftists decide to support the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government from outside. MAY 19 : Manmohan Singh sworn in as Prime Minister.MAY 22 : Poll in 79 municipalities of 16 districts of the state.MAY 27 : Manomohan Singh announces the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA.JUNE 19 : Left Front wins the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election.DECEMBER 14 : Gopalkrishna Gandhi takes charge as the Governor of West Bengal.

2005

MARCH 5 : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez felicitated in Kolkata. JULY 30 : Inauguration of the Kolkata Leather Complex at Bantala.DECEMBER 1 : Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Ward Committee) Rules 2005implemented.DECEMBER 6 : An agreement is signed at a tri-partite meeting arranged jointly by the Union and the State Government with a view to forming a new autonomous board for hilly region of Darjeeling district under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

2006

JANUARY 16 : The State Government announces public-private joint venture policy for the health sector.JANUARY 17 : Celebrations of 150 years of the University of Calcutta get started at the Science City auditorium.FEBRUARY 17 : State Assembly accepts proposal opposing the attempt of the UnionGovernment to amend the Labour Act.FEBRUARY 27 : Nava Diganta Industrial Township Authority Rules 2006 implemented. MARCH 16 : The proposal for formation of the autonomous board under the SixthSchedule of the Constitution in Darjeeling hill area adopted. APRIL 17–MAY 8 : West Bengal State Assembly Election held in five phases. MAY 11 : Results of the election declared. The Left Front wins 235 seats in the294-member House.MAY 18 : The seventh Left Front Government, headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,sworn in.JUNE 28 : The Land & Land Reforms Department takes decision of distribution of 90,000 acres of khas land among 5,00,000 landless families.JULY 6 : Indo-China border trade through Nathu La starts after 44 years.JULY 12 : The Panchayat & Rural Development Department takes decision to introduce awards to the best panchayat of every block, the best Panchayat Samiti of each district and the best Zilla Parishad of the State.SEPTEMBER 3 : The first bio-diesel bus hits the Kolkata roads.SEPTEMBER 8 : National Education Commission awards West Bengal State Resource Centre for their contribution to literacy campaign.OCTOBER 10 : To curb child labour, the Union Government imposes ban on hiring boys and girls below the age of 14.DECEMBER 24 : Modernization of Burnpur IISCO gets under way.

2007

FEBRUARY 10 : Foundation stone of a health township at Goda in Bardhaman laid. MARCH 6 : Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee inaugurates the new building of Paschimbanga Natya Academy.APRIL 26 : Calcutta University confers honorary D. Litt. on former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. MAY 11 : Salanpur project agreement signed between the Bhusan Steel Ltd. and the State Government.JUNE 5 : State imposes ban on manufacture and use of plastic bags with thickness below 40 micron.JUNE 6 : State Government increases grant amount for SC students staying at hostels.